EIGHT MONTHS TO RESET THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR 2012

The clock is ticking for true patriots — the backbone of our society — to bring the nation to its feet. In precisely eight months from this writing, on November 8, 2011, the noise from contenders for Executive, Legislative and gubernatorial offices will be ratcheted up, amplified and embellished by throngs of professional “handlers” (a.k.a. political consultants). They will vie for the hearts and minds of voters by exploiting the clueless, misdirecting the poorly educated, and stroking the egos of the intelligentsia in order to give their candidate the edge on Election Day — just one year away, on November 8, 2012.

Meanwhile, in the back rooms of Capitol Hill — which include the golf courses of posh country clubs and charity galas — who’s actually a contender and whose candidacy is to be a sideshow is already being thrashed out. Even the topics of discussion, along with the various angles on the issues, are being decided as you read this. So, if you, the reader of this column, are a member of a citizen-patriot group that harbors views not aligned with those already selected by pricey political advisors for their agreed-upon front-runners and lapdog TV commentators, you have a problem.

As a mere citizen, the most you can hope for is a letter-to-the-editor, or maybe a blog that nobody important will read. A missive to your congressional representative or government agency head will get you a boilerplate response from a low-level staffer, thanking you for writing, with a brief allusion to the issue in question buried somewhere in the first paragraph to personalize the reply.

I ought to know; I created and categorized dozens of such letters in the course of my duties as an employee and contract employee to various federal agencies.

All U.S. Presidents, past and present, the congressional offices and bureaus or offices within every federal and state agency, as well as heads of major TV networks and newspapers employ individuals to “run interference” for their boss — which means “taking care of” your letter, unless you are connected with a household-name, big-donor organization. The “unconnected” get shut out.